Curb Your Dog!

Somewhere in the vicinity of 10,000 B.C. man began to domesticate the wolf. Over the years, with the more docile wolves being chosen for breeding, Canis lupus was transformed into Canis familiaris. The dog has been a common companion to man from that point on. Everyone knows that owning a dog comes with certain responsibilities. But lately I have noticed a terrible trend that indicates a great many people are shirking that responsibility.

When I'm out and walking I often notice that many of the blocks I pass contain a common feature. That feature: a lump of shit! And it is not off to the side or out of the way by any means. There is often a turd dead smack in the middle of the sidewalk. It has become so common that I'm starting to think that dog owners are intentionally training their dogs to relieve themselves in the middle of the sidewalk. I can overlook someone that refuses to clean up after his or her dog (although you probably should). But why does it have to be right in the middle of the sidewalk?

I thought that dogs liked to mark their territory on trees and fire hydrants. At least in that case, the fecal pile would be off to the side. On the occasions when I see a dog turd by a tree or hydrant I let it slide. I wouldn't say that I find it acceptable, but it is fairly easy to ignore. Unfortunately, such occasions are becoming more and more rare. The majority of shit piles that I have observed lately are clearly in a path where someone would walk.

Now there may be some that claim that they have no control over where the dog goes to the bathroom. But this is clearly untrue. If anyone has ever observed a dog that is ready to defecate, it would be noted that the dog goes around in circles looking for the perfect spot. The time that a dog takes looking for a spot to defecate is clearly more than enough time to pull the animal off to the side. In short, shit in the middle of the sidewalk is inexcusable.

So if you are one of the people that encourages your dog to go in the middle of the sidewalk, cut it out! If you aren't going to invest in a pooper scooper, at least have the decency to pull your dog off to the curb. Then again, writing this to someone like you would most likely be futile. You have already shown the world that you have reached a new level of stupidity and therefore you probably don't read.